Hey guys. Currently under a shade tree trying to get my headlight out so i can replace the motor bushings, ive got the two front bolts but how do i get to the others? Do i have to remove the plastic around the wheel? Would really appreciate some help or a link to a tutorial with photos. Thanks
If you crank the headlight to the open position, you should be able to get at the two lower nuts from the front/inside sides of the headlight. You might need to remove the shroud around the lamp to get a little more room.
Be sure to unplug the motor harness before sticking your hands down in the motor mechanism. The two bolts are directly under each of the top bolts. Feel around and you can find the studs. I find that a deep well 10mm works best. Sometimes the regular socket is too shallow. Once you've loosened the bottom nuts, lower the headlight. It makes it much easier to get out.
Also, when putting the headlights back in (i had to remove both cause i couldnt figure out how to get the motor back on, had to take it apart and rotate it) on both sided i couldnt get the bottom inner bolts back in. Got the other 3 back on on boths sides. Something was blocking them from getting in somehow. Hope this is ok?
Well no, it's not okay. You can leave it... or you can do it right.
It's been awhile since I've taken mine out, but I've done it plenty of times. Nothing is blocking the installation of any of the nuts. Perhaps just don't snug down the other three nuts as much (on each assembly) before you get the fourth nut on.
Be sure to unplug the motor harness before sticking your hands down in the motor mechanism. The two bolts are directly under each of the top bolts. Feel around and you can find the studs. I find that a deep well 10mm works best. Sometimes the regular socket is too shallow. Once you've loosened the bottom nuts, lower the headlight. It makes it much easier to get out.
Very important step... that bucket would possible crush your hand if it decided to move on it's own. I generally leave the bottom nuts finger tight and I can get my headlights out a lot easier when it's time to rebuild the motors.
Very important step... that bucket would possible crush your hand if it decided to move on it's own. I generally leave the bottom nuts finger tight and I can get my headlights out a lot easier when it's time to rebuild the motors.
I removed the nuts, then the arm from the headlight so i could move it up enough to reach the bottom nuts. And of course unplugged the headlight and the motor first, after i put the motor up.
After driving this car a few times now, i never realized how fast they were. I knew they were quick but mine is somewhat close to the speed of our supercharged mini cooper! My parents hate it already xD
I removed the nuts, then the arm from the headlight so i could move it up enough to reach the bottom nuts.
No need to remove the arm. Wind the headlights up manually (if the power is disconnected) to get them out of the way to gain access to the bottom two nuts.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 10-07-2015).]
No need to remove the arm. Wind the headlights up manually (if the power is disconnected) to get them out of the way to gain access to the bottom two nuts.
I tried pulling them up manually and they stopped at position theyd be at if they were up , i still couldn't fit my hand. So i removed the arm and pulled them all the way back only then did ny hand fit. Im a pianist, my hands are pretty big but maybe i was doing something wrong. Either way it worked out good besides those two nuts, ill try to get them in tomorrow and ill replace the other bushing cause why not! Thank you and everyone else
I tried pulling them up manually and they stopped at position theyd be at if they were up... i still couldn't fit my hand.
Im a pianist, my hands are pretty big
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "pulling" them up? When the headlights are manually wound up (using the black knobs), and the lights are at the top of their travel, there's plenty of room even for this kid to get his hand in there.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 10-07-2015).]
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "pulling" them up? When the headlights are manually wound up (using the black knobs), and the lights are at the top of their travel, there's plenty of room even for this kid to get his hand in there.
Ahhh that was my mistake. I wasnt using the black nob, i was trying to physical grab the light and lift it. Silly me. Is the the madness people welcomed me to? 😂😂
There are those on here that would crucify you for not holding your phone 'correctly' for a photo, lol. But you do what you want and tell them to pizz off.
I tried pulling them up manually and they stopped at position theyd be at if they were up , i still couldn't fit my hand. So i removed the arm and pulled them all the way back only then did ny hand fit. Im a pianist, my hands are pretty big but maybe i was doing something wrong. Either way it worked out good besides those two nuts, ill try to get them in tomorrow and ill replace the other bushing cause why not! Thank you and everyone else
You wouldn't want them to be just held down by springs, because at high speed your headlights would fly up unexpectedly. The covers on the other hand ARE just held down by springs and they WILL fly up unexpectedly at high speed.
Yep, this is certainly part of it. But..... this is just the beginning
I'm liking the black plasti dipped wheels!
Thank you! Did the wing aswell, im planning on doing the decklid vents buti want to paint the inner segment of them red, i have to figure out how to get it apart and back together. And also the grey trim around the bottom of the car, and the trim around the qt windows. Its gonna look sharp
Hey guys. So now the passenger headlight is acting up, but i dont think its the bushings this time. The lights will go up, but the passenger side wont go back down. The motor doesnt even turn on. Tried several times, sometimes it goes down. Im thinking its electrical considering the motor doesnt even go on. Any suggestions? Also, just got my service manual in the mail today
Couldnt fix the headlight problem. Took it out to replace the bushings for the heck of it, little did i know, the previous owner must have just replaced them.. but they were cheap ones, put better ones in. In the process i broke a rusted bolt by accident holding the top portion of the motor (the part you wind/spin to make it go up) to the gear section and also lost the nut that held the arm to the motor. Im a fantastic mechanic no need to remind me. Just kidding. So, i put the headlight in and left the arm detached. Would really love if anyone could tell me why it would be doing this and the size of the nut and bolt if possible. Any help would be appreciated
I don't remember if you said this was a gen 1 or gen 2? I'm assuming gen 2, but either way I would throw the motor away and start over with a different one. They are not worth messing with in my opinion.
Hey guys. So now the passenger headlight is acting up, but i dont think its the bushings this time. The lights will go up, but the passenger side wont go back down. The motor doesnt even turn on. Tried several times, sometimes it goes down. Im thinking its electrical considering the motor doesnt even go on. Any suggestions? Also, just got my service manual in the mail today
I don't remember if you said this was a gen 1 or gen 2? I'm assuming gen 2, but either way I would throw the motor away and start over with a different one. They are not worth messing with in my opinion.
I think he has an 87 so it's 2nd gen headlights, but replacing the motor with a different one won't fix a problem that's not in the motor. If the relay is bad and will only power the motor in one direction, then the relay needs replaced, not the motor. The motor itself isn't likely to be bad, unless something was damaged while replacing the bushings.
Hopefully it's not the module, as it's mounted to the frame under the driver side quarter panel. But follow the 87/88 section at the bottom of http://www.fieros.de/en/articles/headlight.html to troubleshoot. Could very well just be the TAIL fuse is bad (do your tail lights work?)
Hopefully it's not the module, as it's mounted to the frame under the driver side quarter panel. But follow the 87/88 section at the bottom of http://www.fieros.de/en/articles/headlight.html to troubleshoot. Could very well just be the TAIL fuse is bad (do your tail lights work?)
Yes all my lights work, ill probably leave it for now. Could always put it down manually. Ill fix it later on
I think he has an 87 so it's 2nd gen headlights, but replacing the motor with a different one won't fix a problem that's not in the motor. If the relay is bad and will only power the motor in one direction, then the relay needs replaced, not the motor. The motor itself isn't likely to be bad, unless something was damaged while replacing the bushings.
By relay you mean the module? The 87-88 don't have relays. Those modules almost never go bad.
By relay you mean the module? The 87-88 don't have relays. Those modules almost never go bad.
Relay/module/fuse/whatever. The gen 2 motors almost never go bad. The plastic rollers dry up an disintegrate, but the motors remain fine. If the motor works in one direction, but is totally silent in the other direction, then it's almost certainly an electrical problem, and the motor is not getting electricity supplied in the direction where it is silent.
Anyway, it's better to diagnose and understand where the problem really is, than to just start replacing parts. Spending $50 for another gen 2 motor only to have it not fix the problem, would only add to any frustration. It's also better for the owner to learn how to diagnose and fix the problems, since it's a 30 year old car. Not many mechanics left that will even work on a Fiero, and some will probably do the simple thing (throw the whole headlight assembly out and replace it), rather than actually fixing the problem, too.
Relay/module/fuse/whatever. The gen 2 motors almost never go bad. The plastic rollers dry up an disintegrate, but the motors remain fine. If the motor works in one direction, but is totally silent in the other direction, then it's almost certainly an electrical problem, and the motor is not getting electricity supplied in the direction where it is silent.
Anyway, it's better to diagnose and understand where the problem really is, than to just start replacing parts. Spending $50 for another gen 2 motor only to have it not fix the problem, would only add to any frustration. It's also better for the owner to learn how to diagnose and fix the problems, since it's a 30 year old car. Not many mechanics left that will even work on a Fiero, and some will probably do the simple thing (throw the whole headlight assembly out and replace it), rather than actually fixing the problem, too.
Any tip on diagnosing it? It doesnt always go up. Today i couldnt get it to. It has a mind of its own. My neighbor has a tester he said he could test it with i believe, but i havent seen it yet. But id really like to fix this now its been bothering me
Originally posted by painandgain99: Any tip on diagnosing it? It doesnt always go up. Today i couldnt get it to. It has a mind of its own. My neighbor has a tester he said he could test it with i believe, but i havent seen it yet. But id really like to fix this now its been bothering me
Break out the multimeter and follow the service manual, and the link I gave you earlier. If you don't have a multimeter, go pick up a cheap one to get started with. You can get one really cheap at Harbor Freight, and it works well enough for most of the things you'll probably need it for (assuming you're not trying to be an electrical engineer). Check all the wiring for any corrosion. You're in the North, so corrosion at the connectors, possibly at the module too, is a real possibility. To get the module off you'll have to at least loosen the body work at the front of the car on the driver side, to reach in and unmount and remove the module to test.
If the motors are annoying you too much, you can just crank them up all the way, then unplug the connectors for the motors, and leave them up until you can get the time to diagnose and fix the problem. Then the switch will turn the lights on/off, but the motors will be disconnected so they'll stay up.
If I remember correctly, the headlight mechanism is held in place with four nuts.
before
